


Study Hard, Do Well

by Briniest



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Gen, Probably the most unrealistic part is them actually spending this much time together, They hang out in the library together, They're both PhD students
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-12-19 16:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11901468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briniest/pseuds/Briniest
Summary: After months of working side by side in the library, Kukui suggests a bet, the outcome of which brings these two students much closer together. Full of silly banter, youthful pranks, and eating together at odd hours. Kind of like a cute college AU, except not quite an AU since they both had to go to college at some point.





	1. Challenge Accepted

**Author's Note:**

> Burnet and Kukui are such a cute couple, and I wanted to take a stab at writing them in the beginning of their relationship. Their first names are made up, because they don't actually have canon ones. Hope you enjoy reading this.  
> <3, Pickles

Burnet stifled a laugh as she looked at her sleeping companion. He was the one to propose this silly challenge in the first place, and yet, he was incapable of keeping himself awake longer than her.  
She had tried to warn him. Years of late-night study sessions, and sleep studies to further her dream research, had trained her body to go for up to a week at a time without sleep.  
Kukui was a good guy. He had an enthusiastic, earnest manner that made him a lot of friends. The fact that he had the sculpted body of an action hero, and did not seem to own any shirts, probably didn’t hurt either.

She chuckled darkly as a thought crossed her mind, and she stilled the permanent marker that had been pinwheeling between her fingers. This is what happens when you fall asleep with your shoes on, pal. The scientist snickered to herself as she penned her message, in slow, deliberate letters, across the sleeping man’s left pectoral, ‘I flexed and my shirt fell off’.

He barely stirred as she worked her mischief, only letting out a short refrain of quiet snores once, when she was about half-finished.  
Taking a step back to admire her work, Burnet contemplated whether or not she was going to add any other artwork to her friend…Nah, the one was plenty. Besides, how could she be sure he wouldn’t wake up next time?  
As if in response, Kukui stirred and rolled over, mumbling something that seemed to include her name…Fascinating. Perhaps she’d have to ask him if he’d sign up for one of her studies.

The whole thing had started when they were the only two left in the library. It was available as a 24-hour workspace, although the reference section on the upper floors was closed after 9pm. They had both been working quietly, and on opposite ends of the room, but, shortly after the last weary scholar made his way towards his bed, Kukui shouted across the room at her.  
“Hey, Burnet! I betcha I can stay awake longer than you can!” It wasn’t the first time the two of them had been the last souls left in the library, but the challenge was new. In the past, the Alolan native would make his way over to her table and start to gab. They discussed the topics of their dissertations, the classes they were teaching to help offset costs, and what they did for fun.

When she’d first seen him, she’d written him off as a meathead jock, but there was far more to him than she would have imagined. He was studying to be a Pokémon professor back on his home island. He wanted to focus on the strength of their moves, and what factors affected that.  
When it came her turn to talk, not only did he listen actively while she elaborated on her ideas about the ‘Dream Zone’, he asked pertinent questions, and shared with her an Alolan legend that also dealt with alternate dimensions.

She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit to being at least a little smitten with him, cute, smart, funny, caring; this guy was the full package. Unfortunately, they were both far too busy to pursue any more of a relationship than studying together in the library, even if Burnet had fantasized about dragging him off into the stacks, and pushing him up against the shelves of a little used section like a naughty undergrad. Besides, if he was interested, he sure wasn’t great at showing it. She appreciated his sunny company, though, especially when prepping for her class got particularly onerous.  
“I’m pretty sure I’d win that bet, Kukui,” she called back.  
“In your dreams!” came his cheeky reply. She snorted,  
“I’ve never heard that before. Did you come up with it all on your own?”  
“Let’s make it official, then. What are our stakes?” The Alolan man had moved his materials to the table next to her, tenting his fingers and staring intensely.  
“Loser buys the winner lunch for a week!”  
“A WHOLE WEEK?”  
“Just here on campus, nothing fancy. Why, scared you’re gonna lose?”  
“Keep dreaming, Burnet. You’ve got yourself a deal.” Kukui thrust out his hand for a shake, making intense eye contact.

So, their competition had begun. After a couple hours, Kukui came back with coffees from the cafe down the street. He handed one to her, and she smiled as she took the first sip.  
“This better not be decaf,” she teased.  
“You wound me, madam. Do you think me entirely without honour?” came his rejoinder, accompanied by a mischievous grin.

The coffee was for real, and despite her teasing, she didn’t actually think him one for sabotage. That didn’t mean she was so innocent, though, and once the caffeine buzz started to fade, she gave a big exaggerated yawn and stretch, and grinned when he yawned in reply.  
“That’s cheating!” he protested, fighting another yawn. “You fight dirty, lady! And to think I brought you a coffee.” The brunet acted hurt, but the sparkle in his dark eyes betrayed him.  
Burnet stood up and stretched again, whispering in his ear, “Are you backing down on me, tough guy?” Maybe it was just the sleep deprivation, but she could have sworn his bronze skin flushed slightly pink at the cheeks.  
Kukui cleared his throat, probably to head off another yawn, and smirked. “Not a chance! Takes more than a Sucker Punch to keep me down.”

Despite his boasting, he was fast asleep before the hour had passed; head lolling back in the chair, and curly wisps of hair escaping its binding. The fair-haired woman giggled softly to herself and slipped out a camera to take a stealthy picture of him. She needed to have visual proof that she’d stayed awake longer, in case the fake tattoo wasn’t enough.

One thing she’d noticed while scribbling on him was that Kukui was an oven. Just the short amount of time Burnet had spent in physical contact with him had noticeably raised her internal temperature. If he stayed in that position all night, though, he was going to have major neck strain. Thankfully the library chairs had wheels on them, there was no way she’d be able to carry the large man anywhere. There were a couple couches against the opposite wall, and it would probably be a headache to drag her colleague over there, but it was something she was willing to try.

With a lot of grunting and straining, the golden-eyed scientist managed to get her sleeping companion into a less painful position on the couch. At some point during the struggle, Kukui’s hair had come loose, and Burnet slipped his hair elastic around her wrist so it wouldn’t go missing. She also slipped off his shoes, because who sleeps with their shoes on, before claiming the other, smaller couch for herself.

Burnet’s first thought upon waking up was one of warmth. Had they turned up the thermostat in the library that morning? It couldn’t be her blankets, the only thing she had covering her was a light sweater. It was suspiciously heavy, though. Had she tucked all her valuables into the sleeve out of fear of them being stolen? That might explain the heat, as well, if one of them was running and not getting the required air circulation.  
Resolving to check on her devices, Burnet reached into her sleeve, and screamed bloody murder when her hand touched another warm body underneath her.

“Not much of a morning person, are you?” teased Kukui, loose hair falling in his eyes and sticking out at odd angles. How could he make that seem adorable?  
“Why am I on top of you?” she demanded.  
“I woke up at some point after you fell asleep, and saw you curled into a little ball over there, shivering. So, I laid you on my chest to keep you warm. Dying of hypothermia in a university library is a really stupid way to go. Especially with such an effective heat source so close by.”

There were no sly innuendos hidden in his words like some might expect, and the earnest concern in his eyes made her purse her lips. Pulling the hair tie off her wrist, she handed it to him, huffing, “Your hair looks ridiculous.”  
Not missing a beat, he replied, “have you looked in a mirror this morning?”  
Burnet carded a hand through her, no doubt wild, pale hair with a sigh. “Sometimes you just have to pick and choose your battles. You ask yourself, what am I willing to put up with today? Not flaming this!”

The Alolan man began to laugh at her commentary, and, given her present position atop him, it sent vibrations coursing through her body. Burnet rolled to the floor with a groan, before forcing herself to a seated position facing him. “It wasn’t that funny,” she countered.  
He smirked, sitting up and brushing his hair back off his forehead, neglecting to tie it back yet, so it actually just fell right back in his eyes. “You are a fascinating woman, Ms. Burnet.”  
“Nicola.”  
“What’s it?”  
“My first name, it’s Nicola.”  
“Nicola Burnet, eh? Arnold Kukui,” he stated with a megawatt grin, offering her his hand for another shake.  
“Seriously?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. His grin faltered a little,  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“Nothing, forget it, Kukui. I’m sorry.” Changing the subject, Burnet asked him, “given as I’m the rightful winner of this bet, when do I get to collect my winnings?”  
Kukui smiled ruefully and shook his head. “I suppose I do owe you thanks for not leaving me in that chair, don’t I?” She nodded eagerly, and he laughed. “Alright, then. I guess I’ll see you at lunch then, Burnet.”  
“Wouldn’t miss it, Kukui.”


	2. Who doesn't love free food?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having lost his own bet, Kukui now must buy his new friend food for a week. Given both of their busy schedules, this involves meeting for awkward chunks of the day, quickly downing food, and maybe having a sword fight with fries, if they're lucky.

Burnet waved at her friend as he ambled into the cafeteria space. “How was your class?”  
“Why don’t you tell me,” Kukui accused lightheartedly. “I spent half the class trying to figure out why the students were pointing at me and snickering behind their hands, until one brave soul piped up and drew my attention to your masterpiece here.” He gestured to her penmanship, still boldly legible across his chest.  
She gasped so hard she nearly choked, and burst into a fit of laughter. “I never expected you to make it that far without noticing! I thought for sure you’d notice it right away, and get rid of it before then.”  
“IT’S PERMANENT INK, NICOLA!”  
The frantic expression on his face only made her laugh harder, and she grabbed his shoulder for support as the other arm gripped her stomach. “Do you never… look in… a mirror?” she finally managed to choke out.  
Kukui pouted at her. “No, I just pulled my hair back, and went to class. Look, can we just grab some food? I’m more than a little famished.”  
They ended up getting burgers, with a large fries to split, and sodas. “What did you tell them it was?” Burnet asked, nibbling on a fry.  
The dark haired man’s mouth twisted into a smirk,“I told them I lost a bet to a cute physicist last night, and she had her way with me.”  
She sucked in a breath, and aspirated some partially digested potato. After a couple tense minutes of the ‘cute physicist’ red-faced and hacking, she managed to dislodge the food particles, and gave her tormentor a sulky look.  
“Was it something I said?” he teased.  
“That isn’t actually what you said, is it?”  
“Of course not,” he said. “I told them I was studying with a friend and she pulled this after I crashed.”  
“You!” she huffed, turning slightly pink in the cheeks. “I was gonna tell you how to get it off, but now I’m not sure I want to.”  
“Awww, c’mon,” he pleaded. “Aren’t I allowed a little fun?” He gave her his best Baby Doll Eyes, and she laughed.  
“Oh, alright,” Burnet relented. “You better be careful, though. Keep throwing looks like that and someone might mistake you for a Pokémon.” She nearly ruffled his hair, but decided that would be inappropriate, and stopped with her hand hovering in the air halfway between them. “You do own shaving cream, correct?” He nodded in assent. “Spread a thin layer of that over the marker, lather, and then wash it off with warm water.”  
“That’s it?” he asked, nonplussed.  
“That should be all there is to it,” she confirmed, sipping on her soda.  
“Well, alright. That should be plenty easy to take care of.” Kukui gave her another of those dazzling grins that made her feel a little like one of those Slugma cakes with the melted centers.  
The rest of their meal was passed with easy banter, and when their dish of fries got low, he challenged her to a french fry duel.  
“How exactly does one duel with french fries?” queried Burnet.  
“In much the same way a Pawniard goes after its opponents. Like so!” Kukui twisted the fry around in his hand, like he was fighting off very small, invisible opponents. “Think you get the idea?”  
She laughed and nodded. “What’s the prize for winning?”  
“The rest of the fries, of course.”  
“Of course. How silly of me.”  
Burnet put in a valiant effort, but it was her challenger that took the prize.  
“You are a man of many hidden talents, Arnold Kukui,” she mused, as he munched on his spoils. “Even if staying up all night isn’t one of them.”  
He chuckled, dabbing ketchup on her nose with his last fry. “Sore loser. Are we meeting same time tomorrow?”  
The fair-haired scientist snapped at the morsel in his hand, just narrowly missing snatching it out of the air with her mouth. “Can we meet an hour later tomorrow? I have a lab to run that doesn’t get out until then.”  
“Can’t do later tomorrow. I’ve got a 2-hour kinetics lab, followed by a lecture on bio-rhythms, followed by my part time job. Any chance we could make it earlier?”  
She winced apologetically, this was the main reason they hadn’t spent more time together. “Only if you want to buy me breakfast instead. My lab starts at 10. Would 9 work for you?”  
“Could we do 9:30? I lead a morning callisthenics class that finishes at 9, and I’d rather not subject you to my post-workout stank.”  
“Well, if you’re buying me breakfast I suppose I can’t complain too much. We’ll have to be quick, though. Nothing fancy.”  
“You wrote on me with permanent marker. Was fancy ever a question?”  
“Hey, in my defence, you passed out with your shoes on, and your chest made too tempting a target.” She bit her tongue when she realized what she’d just said, not wanting to splutter and make a bigger mess. That had come out entirely more sexually than she had intended.  
Kukui just laughed and made his pecs dance. “So I’ll see you here tomorrow for breakfast, then?”  
Burnet groaned at her slip of the tongue, but gave him a thumbs up. “See ya then.”  
—-  
“Great job this morning, everyone. Hope to see you all next class.” Kukui waved at his departing students, making sure to lock the room behind him before hurrying off to the locker room. He chuckled ruefully as he stepped into the shower. The ink had come off as easily as Burnet had suggested it would, so he no longer had her mischievous tattoo.  
Despite the embarrassment he’d felt that a class of undergrads noticed it before he did, it had made him laugh. Full of surprises, that one.  
As he was rinsing the soap out of his hair, her comment from yesterday floated to the front of his mind. Your chest made too tempting a target. A shudder coursed through him as he imagined her giving into all sorts of temptations across his chest. Couldn’t let himself dwell on that for too long, though. They were meeting for breakfast in 10 minutes, and judging by how thoroughly embarrassed she had seemed, she probably didn’t want to be reminded of it. He toweled off roughly, hoping to shake loose any lingering fantasies, and quickly dressed before making his way to their meeting place.  
“How do you take your coffee?” Kukui asked as he strolled up to his companion.  
“Black as the void of space, with two shots of espresso,” she answered.  
“Duly noted. What are you eating?”  
“Lemon Poppyseed muffin, if they have one. Blueberry if they don’t.”  
When the Alolan man returned with their food, he not only had two coffees and both the muffins she requested, but a couple of yogurt cups, a bowl of porridge, a couple pieces of fruit, and a plate containing scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, potatoes, and toast.  
He set her coffee, muffins, and one of the yogurt cups in front of her, and held out the fruit.  
“Which do you want?”  
“This is more than enough, Kukui, I don’t need fruit as well.”  
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” he objected. “Keeps the mind sharp and the body running smoothly.”  
She relented and picked the fruit in his left hand.  
“What you don’t eat now you can save for later. Except for the yogurt, you should probably eat that now.”  
“I’ll actually pass on the yogurt, thanks…It’s a texture thing, I can’t eat it.” The physicist grimaced slightly, before biting into her muffin.  
“That’s okay, I’ll just eat them both…Suppose I should have asked.” He looked slightly abashed and plucked up the yogurt cup. “You don’t have some horrid fruit allergy you’re avoiding telling me about, do you?”  
Burnet shook her head. “No food allergies or dietary intolerances. How about you?”  
“Flax and buckwheat, and I’m lactose-intolerant. Which is why,” Kukui rotated the cup in his hand, “I got lactose-free yogurt.”  
“Seems like a good plan,” she agreed. “So, what’s your part-time job? This is the first time I heard you mention it.”  
The Alolan man laughed, breaking open the first of his yogurt cups. “I’m not supposed to talk about it much, part of my contract, but I wrestle. Pay’s good, I get to throw folks around a little, release some stress.”  
“So, all those muscles aren’t just for show, then.”  
Kukui laughed a deep belly laugh as Burnet did her best to crawl inside her paper coffee cup as her face steadily grew redder and redder.  
“I really should keep my mouth shut until after I finish my coffee,” she groaned.  
He shook his head, still laughing. “Maybe this is karmic payback for that stunt you pulled yesterday,” he teased.  
“Haven’t I suffered for that enough already?” she mumbled into the tabletop.  
The Alolan man cleared his throat forcefully, remembering his thoughts from earlier that morning. “C’mon, Burnet, you gotta eat. Shame and humiliation won’t give you the energy you need.” Not that it wasn’t cute seeing her embarrassed, she’d turned red all the way out to the tips of her ears. “You’ve got that lab at 10, right. That doesn’t leave much time for loafing around.”  
Reluctantly, she dragged her face off the table, resting her chin on it instead, and pouting up at him. “This just means I’ll have to figure out some way to embarrass you,” countered the fair-haired woman, taking another thoughtful bite of her muffin.  
“I feel like escalating the situation is just going to get us both in trouble,” cautioned Kukui.  
“I thought you were the kind of guy that couldn’t back down from a challenge…” Her eyes danced with mischief as she took a long sip from her coffee. “Are you afraid you’ll lose again?”  
“Hey, so far we’re 1-1, as far as bets go, so I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.” Or, at least, as far as she knew.  
They ate in silence for the next couple minutes, until Burnet asked what time they could meet tomorrow. “I’m free around noon, if that works, and next at 3.”  
“Shockingly, I am also free at noon tomorrow, but only for a half-hour. My break is 11-12:30. If you give me your number, I can text you beforehand and have food waiting when you get here.” Smooth, Kukui, real smooth.  
“Hey, now that sounds like some first class service! Hand me your phone.”  
The Alolan scientist slid his unlocked mobile across the table to her and she punched in her info with one hand, using the other to down the last of her coffee. “Alright, that’s me. I’ve gotta dash now, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” Burnet tucked her untouched muffin into her satchel atop her books, and popped the remains of the other into her mouth. Kukui smiled, watching her walk away. If he hadn’t been crushing on her before, he was certainly starting to. Once she was out of sight, he picked up his phone, grinning down at her contact info and fired off a quick text.  
Just for fun, he set her contact icon as a funny coffee mug he’d found online once. It was a standard white ceramic mug that said “#1 Science” in thick black lettering. With that accomplished, he set his phone back on the table, and reviewed his schedule for the day as he ate.  
—-  
Burnet smiled as she felt a buzz in her pocket, pulling out her phone to check the message.  
[SMS: You are a singularly talented woman, Nicola Burnet  
\- Kukui ]  
After sending him a reply, she saved his number, setting his contact icon to a Machamp showing off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pokémon mythos is unclear as to whether or not mobile phones exist. For the purposes of this story, I'm saying they do. I hope you guys are having as much fun reading this as I am writing it.  
> ~<3, Pickles


End file.
